Wednesday, December 30, 2009

I'm still working flat out to get all my work ready for the February show. Yes I'm still waiting for him indoors to scan my pictures but first things first - he's decided his bike needs servicing and what better place to do it than right next to the kitchen table....

You can just see some gum leaves I'm finishing off. To the left of the picture is my laptop where my day job gets done... the kitchen table is still mine - just.

I'm wondering - how many artists share their studio with a Ducati and cursing other half as they lose bits while learning how to service their own bike?

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Christmas afternoon tea for the girls - from left, clockwise:asparagus rolls (height of NZ old fashioned dainties)the now-famous Malpas gingerbread in boxes to giveawaylemon cupcakes with dusted icing (cupcakes had royal icing on them - made with uncooked eggwhite - not good for expectant mums)bite sized chicken and ginger piestiny cupcakes - who are we kidding? we just eat moregingerbread cookies

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

This year I'm working on sea-themed jewellery. I have forged big silver circles and threaded recycled Balinese glass beads onto them. They are frosted so they look like sea glass. Of course the frosted quartz pebble has made a reappearance - once these are gone I don't know where to get more - I originally bought this strand in Hatton Garden, London.

I have a myriad of shells picked up on beaches from around the world - many with holes just waiting for something to be made from them.

Finally I hit on the idea of making them into silver circle and seashell earrings. These shell slices came from Thailand - but I think the sea worn shells I have in my collection will also make wonderful earrings.

These haven't made it to etsy or the website yet but if you are interested - please get in touch. The earrings and frosted quartz pendants will be around $35AU. Balinese glass bead pendants $30AU.

Monday, September 28, 2009

The colours of the stones appear to be a little random but I like them that way. I am using headpins I have also made myself - the soldered end looks so much better than looped wire.The diameter of each bangle is approx 7 cm but will vary by a fraction.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Got a new shipment in today of some rough garnets, coral and frosted quartz. The garnets look like rough red diamonds. I think they are beautiful but I'm guessing they might be an acquired taste - will post more pictures when I'm done.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

I finished my cast silver gum leaf pendants. I re-thought the original, hammered versions and changed them to sit on two hoops: one small which interlocks with a larger circle, giving the pendant a natural swaying movement.

I have decided against adding any stones to these pendants. I prefer to keep them as is - the elegant shape of the gum leaves can speak for themselves.... any addition would make the piece too fussy.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

This week I've been concentrating on jewellery - more specifically, on silver smithing stuff.

Just in time for the Australian summer.

I'm a huge fan of the forged silver circle. It's such a feminine shape and fits so well with some rough or smooth pebbles. Look a little closer and you can see I've made the headpins for the beads. These look so much nicer than looped silver wire ends.

They're slightly kooky because I let the silver melt and form its own shape.

The chains are different lengths and thicknesses - chosen to suit the stones.

And on Wednesday we got our silver cast results back in our little community collage course.

A big 'wow'. The lace came out spectacular and who'd have thought star anise would be so cool - cast as is - without dipping in wax?

The gum leaves were a little disappointing - the thick coat of wax meant that the finer leafy details were lost so I've hammered these a little to thin them out a little more but also to strengthen the silver.

And finally got around to making stack ring sets. Does one bead add enough bling or should there be more?

My favourites are the rings - these carved wax and cast silver rings originally had little flowers on them - but they fell off before they were cast. Never mind, I thought these were pretty though him indoors said "Very impractical".

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Ranunculus. I bought these at the market a week before I got around to painting them... in that time the leaves grew spidery and unruly and the stems got longer: some wilted and some twisted into new shapes.